Gartside admits he must try to win back supporters (From The Bolton News)

Gartside admits he must try to win back supporters

8:59am Monday 30th June 2008 in

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PHIL Gartside has vowed to win back the supporters who had become disenfranchised during the fight against relegation last season.

The Wanderers chairman, pictured, admitted that mistakes had been made in the last 12 months that had damaged the football club's relationship with some sections of its fanbase.

Speaking in a free-to-air video on bwfc.co.uk, Gartside looked back on a disastrous campaign in which the side dropped from European contenders to relegation candidates.

But he vowed to reconnect with the fans, who played such a significant role in the final stages of the season as Gary Megson's side dragged themselves clear of the bottom three.

"I think we disengaged with the fans a bit and I think it's important that we get back to being the homely, family club that we claim to be," Gartside said.

"There are some things that are going to be put into place that will hopefully repair that.

"The fans are crucial, we've always said that, but they're much more important than perhaps we even realised.

"The support we got in the last three away games and the home support we got at the last three games was so crucial to giving the team confidence. That it showed in results, and that was obvious to everyone.

"We really lost that closeness and I can sympathise with people being frustrated because there was nobody more frustrated than I was.

"It was a difficult season but having reflected on that - we're still in the Premier League, we're still playing at the top level."

See the full story in Monday's The Bolton News